1. Part of the SDG Teach-in at DMU February 18th -22nd 2019.
Making the Links: De Montfort University and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Contact Andrew Reeves for any questions around developing a session using these slides.
Andrew can also potentially join sessions to co-deliver these materials.
Part of the SDG Teach-in at DMU
February 18th -22nd 2019.

2. Aims for the Activity Introduce the SDGs How you can contribute
DMU’s commitment
Links to your course
How you can contribute
Via your course
Via volunteering, societies and more

3. The Big Picture: What is a university for?
5-minute activity:
Part 1:
Put the question to students (not revealing mission slide) and either:
A: Students discuss in pairs or small groups for 2-4 mins, then elicit their ideas
B: Elicit ideas from individuals without prior discussion
C: Use online voting (e.g. PollEverywhere, sli.do) to make a wordcloud of responses (suggest short 1-2 word responses). (Andrew Reeves can share sli.do resources –
Note the main themes of responses
Part 2: Show the slide with DMU’s Mission – note what this has in common with responses elicited, and how it differs
DMU’s Mission, from the DMU Strategic Plan

4. Achieving Public Good: Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
A transformative agenda for 2030
Agreed via United Nations in September 2015
A focus for all activity at DMU – study, research and more
Briefly introduce the UN SDGs as a framework to understand how DMU makes its contribution to the ‘Public Good’

5. (Always) a topical issue!
Replace the news story image and the SDG image (available here with a topical news story linked to the SDGs, if possible, linked to the course being taught
From the Guardian:

6. Photos from DMU SDG Teach-in, February 2018
Optional background:
The SDG Teach-in is organised by the National Union of Students.
Universities across the world are invited to take part, by linking the SDGs to sessions that week
In 2018, DMU was in the top 5 UK universities by staff participation.
Photos from DMU SDG Teach-in, February 2018

7. Committed Students and Staff
82% of DMU students agree that sustainable development should be incorporated and promoted within all DMU courses
NUS Student Survey (2017)
“We will equip students and staff with an understanding of the challenges of sustainability and sustainable development, and will approach learning, teaching and assessment mindful of the opportunities to contribute locally and globally to the public good and environmental futures as well as of our impact on a resource-limited world.”
DMU University Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy, 2018
Optional background info:
Results from an annual NUS survey on student attitudes to sustainability
Quote from DMU’s teaching and learning strategy, stating our commitment.

8. Discussion 1
Which goal(s) are most urgent or important where you grew up (whether UK or overseas)?
Aim: to prompt awareness of the range of goals and critical reflection on strategies for achieving them
Part one: Put the question to the group.
Students engage as per slide 3 (pair discussion then feedback; whole group discussion (individuals feeding back); online/text vote). Ask students to consider why or further elaborate their responses. Seek to draw out any general conclusions, or differences between the SDGs in different contexts.
Part two: Further questions to elicit further reflection on the goals. For example:
Which goal(s) are most challenging to achieve? Why?
Which goal do you see as having most support or most grounds for hope? Why?
Are there any

9. Discussion 1
Which goal do you think is most strongly connected to your course?
AIM: Encourage students to consider relevance of SDGs for their study, and inter-relationships between goals
Part One:
Elicit student’s views on the goal with the strongest link (as per slide 3, this could be via pair discussion, individual comments or online/text vote)
Summarise the views of the group
Part Two:
Note the most popular SDG, and ask students to consider if its achievement relies on other goals being achieved. Prompt: which goals and why?

10. Next Steps Volunteering and global learning
#DMULocal
#DMUGlobal
Follow SustainableDMU on Facebook and Twitter
Contact SustainableDMU with your ideas on what you would like to see happen at the university